Lightning Lanes at Disney World Guide
This guide to Lightning Lane MultiPass and Single Pass at Walt Disney World offers answers to frequently asked questions, info & tips for using the paid FastPass+ and Genie replacement. It covers strategy for line-skipping, off-site vs. on-site ride reservation booking windows, tiers for Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Hollywood Studios, and much more!
Lightning Lane Multi Pass (LLMP) and Single Pass (LLSP) launched over one year ago, and we’ve extensively tested out the new line-skipping services and shared results in our posts about Lightning Lanes. There are some good recent reports for those wanting to understand how the new pre-arrival system has changed versus the Genie+ system that it replaced.
The purpose of this guide is to act as a primer explaining how Lightning Lanes works in practice, problems we have using ride reservations, and all of the latest updates to LLMP and LLSP. Unsurprisingly, there have still been a lot of questions–even from seasoned Walt Disney World veterans.
The bad news is that the Lightning Lane system is convoluted and confusing, with a ton of differences from Genie. The good news is many of the changes have been positive, and Lightning Lane Multi Pass is very similar to the old FastPass+ system. In fact, so much so that this really is the realization of paid FastPass.
As a threshold matter, you might be wondering whether it’s necessary to pay extra for line-skipping in the first place. We address that in Is Lightning Lane Multi Pass Still “Worth It” at Walt Disney World?
The value proposition of LLMP has changed dramatically over the course of the last year, so if you last visited during the Genie+ era or are hearing advice based on experiences that are over 6 months old, they’re outdated. You might find that LLMP is still worth it for you, but we’d nevertheless recommend reading that post to make an informed decision based on current standby line vs. Lightning Lane dynamics.
Once you’ve decided that LLMP is right for you–or if you’re still on the fence–that’s where this guide comes into play.
If you’re already familiar with Lightning Lanes and don’t need a crash course, we a resource that focuses more on strategy and less on basics: Top 10 Tips & Tricks for Lightning Lanes at Walt Disney World. That also covers a few changes and things we’ve learned over the last few months of field testing, most notably that Magic Kingdom is no longer the #1 park for buying Lightning Lane Multi Pass at Walt Disney World.
For those who are new to Walt Disney World vacation planning and need background before diving into more advanced strategy, here’s our Guide to Lightning Lane MultiPass and Single Pass at Walt Disney World. This answers the most common reader questions and concerns, making you a ‘power user’ of the new system in the process!
There have been a few additions to the Lightning Lane Multi-Pass lineup in the last few months. The most recent of these is Zootopia: Better Zoogether, which replaces It’s Tough to Be a Bug at Animal Kingdom.
Another recent addition is Little Mermaid – A Musical Adventure as a Lightning Lane Multi Pass option in the second group of attractions at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. The Little Mermaid – A Musical Adventure has proven even ~6 months after its opening, with subsequent shows routinely filling up in advance. That makes this the rare worthwhile Lightning Lane for a stage show, at least as long as the ‘new attraction smell’ lasts.
Nevertheless, both Zootopia: Better Zoogether and the Little Mermaid – A Musical Adventure are still recommended as subsequent selections (4th or later) as opposed to something you’d pre-book. You should prioritize rides with Lightning Lane Multi-Pass, not shows.
Prior to this, Test Track 3.0 at EPCOT and rejoined Multi-Pass as a top tier attraction. Along with that, Soarin’ Around the World was ‘demoted’ to the second group of attractions.
This was a big shake-up to the ride roster that actually makes Lightning Lane Multi-Pass much more valuable at EPCOT. As we explained in the EPCOT Lightning Lane Rankings, both of these are now the #1 priority in their respective groupings.
Even several months after this change, Test Track is still the #1 top-tier pick and Soarin’ remains the best second-tier selection. That should be doubly true in Summer 2026 when Soarin’ Across America debuts, assuming it stays in Tier 2.
The other big news is price increases! These started with the new fiscal year, with pretty significant jumps for Lightning Lane Multi-Pass over the old highs of $5 to $6 per park (the previous high was $39 at Magic Kingdom; Animal Kingdom was $29). Here are the new record-high prices for each park:
New Lightning Lane Multi-Pass Peak Prices
- Magic Kingdom: $45 per person
- Disney’s Hollywood Studios: $39 per person
- EPCOT: $37 per person
- Disney’s Animal Kingdom: $35 per person
New Lightning Lane Single Pass Peak Prices
- Seven Dwarfs Mine Train: $15
- TRON Lightcycle Run: $23
- Guardians of the Galaxy Cosmic Rewind: $22
- Star Wars Rise of the Resistance: $25
- Avatar Flight of Passage: $19
Note that Lightning Lane Premier Pass has not increased in price. It was a curious decision on Walt Disney World’s part to not raise prices on Lightning Lane Premier Pass, especially as it continues to sell out with a degree of regularity–especially when it hits peak prices (which corresponds with peak season crowds).
In fact, Lightning Lane Premier Pass sold out every single day in the lead-up to Christmas through early January 2026 (a two week stretch), which suggests Walt Disney World has bandwidth to raise the cost ceiling on the busiest of dates. It’s rare for Disney to pass up a price increase opportunity!
With updates out of the way, let’s turn to the FAQ…
Lightning Lanes FAQ
What are the booking windows for Lightning Lane Passes?
Guests staying at an on-site Walt Disney World Resort hotel and other select hotels are able to purchase Lightning Lane passes up to 7 days in advance, for their entire stay (up to 14 days). Off-site guests can plan up to 3 days in advance.
Guests can purchase Lightning Lane passes for days they have valid theme park admission starting at 7:00 AM Eastern Time on their first day of eligibility. The end result of this on-site advantage is significant: a lot of the “best” Lightning Lanes will be gobbled up before off-site guests can even book.
What are the booking windows for off-site Walt Disney World guests?
Then you can purchase Lightning Lane passes—and choose experiences and arrival windows—3 days in advance. This varies further based on admission type:
- Guests with date-based theme park tickets (which require the Guest to choose a start date at the time of purchase) can purchase 3 days before the first day of their ticket, for the total number of valid admission days on their ticket.
- Guests with other ticket types can purchase 3 days before their park visit.
- Annual Passholders can purchase 3 days before their park visit.
This is a huge difference between Lightning Lane Multi Pass and the Genie+ service, which was previously same-day only. That leveled the playing field completely; everyone could make ride reservations starting at 7 am on the day of their visit. This is more like FastPass+, which also offered an on-site advantage.
With Multi Pass and Single Pass, the most popular attractions often won’t even be available 3 days in advance. Meaning that off-site guests will have to bank on same-day ride reservation refills if they want a shot at those.
How many pre-arrival attraction selections can be made with Lightning Lane MultiPass?
When you purchase Lightning Lane Multi Pass, you may make up to 3 Lightning Lane selections in a theme park, in advance of your visit. You’ll also be able to choose available times as you make your selections.
This is per person and per day, not for the duration of your visit. Meaning that if you buy one day of Lightning Lane Multi-Pass, you’ll make 3 selections. If you purchase the service for 4 days, you get 3 per day for 4 days (4×3=12). You get the idea, hopefully.
How many pre-arrival attraction selections can be made with Lightning Lane Single Pass?
You may purchase up to 2 Lightning Lane Single Pass selections per day. This makes for a total of up to 5 Lightning Lanes pre-booked each day (3 via MultiPass and 2 via Single Pass).
The most obvious way to buy 2 Single Passes is in Magic Kingdom, where there are two such attractions–TRON Lightcycle Run and Seven Dwarfs Mine Train. But you could also purchase, for example, Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind and Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance in the same day.
Which attractions are in each tier for Lightning Lane Multi-Pass at Magic Kingdom?
Group A: Choose up to one experience from this tier:
- Jungle Cruise
- Peter Pan’s Flight
- Space Mountain
- Tiana’s Bayou Adventure
Group B: Choose your other 2 experiences—or all 3—from this tier:
- The Barnstormer
- Dumbo the Flying Elephant
- Haunted Mansion
- “it’s a small world”
- Mad Tea Party
- The Magic Carpets of Aladdin
- The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
- Mickey’s PhilharMagic
- Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor
- Pirates of the Caribbean
- Tomorrowland Speedway
- Under the Sea ~ Journey of The Little Mermaid
Which attractions are in each tier for Lightning Lane Multi-Pass at EPCOT?
Group A: Choose up to one experience from this tier:
- Frozen Ever After
- Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure
- Test Track
Group B: Choose your other 2 experiences—or all 3—from this tier:
- Soarin’ Around the World
- Disney and Pixar Short Film Festival
- Journey into Imagination with Figment
- Living with the Land
- Mission: SPACE
- The Seas with Nemo & Friends
- Spaceship Earth
- Turtle Talk with Crush
Which attractions are in each tier for Lightning Lane Multi-Pass at Disney’s Hollywood Studios?
Group A: Choose up to one experience from this tier:
- Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway
- Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run
- Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith (closing March 2, 2026)
- Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring the Muppets (opening Summer 2026)
- Slinky Dog Dash
Group B: Choose your other 2 experiences—or all 3—from this tier:
- Alien Swirling Saucers
- Beauty and the Beast Live on Stage
- For the First Time in Forever: A Frozen Sing-Along Celebration
- Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular
- The Little Mermaid – A Musical Adventure
- Star Tours – The Adventures Continue
- The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror
- Toy Story Mania!
Which attractions are in each tier for Lightning Lane Multi-Pass at Animal Kingdom?
Animal Kingdom doesn’t have the Group A/B dynamic, which is honestly sorta surprising given that not all attractions are of equal value in DAK, and there’s a clear good/bad use of Lightning Lanes dichotomy. Our assumption is that this is based on demand–or rather, a lack thereof–obviating the need for tiers. Regardless, here are the Lightning Lane MultiPass attractions at Disney’s Animal Kingdom:
- DINOSAUR (closes in February 2026)
- Expedition Everest – Legend of the Forbidden Mountain
- Feathered Friends in Flight!
- Festival of the Lion King
- Finding Nemo: The Big Blue… and Beyond!
- Kali River Rapids
- Kilimanjaro Safaris
- Naʻvi River Journey
- Zootopia: Better Zoogether
Which attractions are part of Lightning Lane Single Pass?
Lightning Lane Single Pass is really just a rebranding of the a la carte or Individual Lightning Lanes. The new name provides better continuity and makes it easy to distinguish between the two products. In any case, here’s the list:
Magic Kingdom Single Pass Attractions (Not Available with the Multi Pass):
- Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
- TRON Lightcycle Run
EPCOT Single Pass Attractions (Not Available with the Multi Pass):
- Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind
Hollywood Studios Single Pass Attractions (Not Available with the Multi Pass):
- Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance
Animal Kingdom Single Pass Attractions (Not Available with the Multi Pass):
- Avatar Flight of Passage
Does Walt Disney World have a simple option like Universal’s Express Pass?
The latest update is that Walt Disney World does have an option similar to the lower tier of Universal Express Pass: Lightning Lane Premier Pass.
This muddies the waters even further, and makes an already convoluted system even more confusing. The biggest thing you need to know is that Lightning Lane Premier Pass costs $129 to $449 per person, plus tax, depending upon the park and demand. Additionally, Lightning Lane Premier Pass slots in above both of the options discussed here, and is more like an unguided VIP tour.
Lightning Lane Premier Pass is essentially the 1%er line-skipping option, with VIP tours being the top .1% option. By contrast, Lightning Lane Multi-Pass and Single Pass are mass market, aimed at the middle class guests (anywhere from 20% to half of all guests buy LLMP or LLSP on any given day).
Given these demographics and the prohibitive pricing, we don’t see a point in fixating on Lightning Lane Premier Pass in this post. If you’re part of the upper echelon for whom LLPP is aimed, instead consult our Guide to Lightning Lane Premier Pass at Walt Disney World.
How much do Lightning Lanes cost?
Prices for Lightning Lane Multi Passes vary by date and theme park, ranging from $19 to $45 per person.
Prices for Lightning Lane Single Passes vary by date and attraction, ranging from $11 to $25 per ride. You’ll be able to view prices in the My Disney Experience (MDX) app for all dates of your visit prior to purchasing.
When will prices be highest?
The short answer is whenever crowds are highest.
Historically, Walt Disney World charges the highest prices around the weeks of Presidents’ Day & Mid-Winter Break, Easter & Spring Break, Columbus Day & Fall Break, Veterans Day & Jersey Week, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Eve.
What qualifies as an eligible hotel for the early on-site booking window at Walt Disney World?
This early-planning benefit is available to registered guests staying at the following resorts:
- Disney’s All-Star Movies Resort
- Disney’s All-Star Music Resort
- Disney’s All-Star Sports Resort
- Disney’s Art of Animation Resort
- Disney’s Pop Century Resort
- Campsites at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort
- Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort
- Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort & Gran Destino Tower
- Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – French Quarter
- Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – Riverside
- Cabins at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort
- Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge
- Disney’s Beach Club Resort
- Disney’s BoardWalk Inn
- Disney’s Contemporary Resort
- Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa
- Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort
- Disney’s Wilderness Lodge
- Disney’s Yacht Club Resort
- Bay Lake Tower at Disney’s Contemporary Resort
- Boulder Ridge Villas at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge
- Copper Creek Villas & Cabins at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge
- Disney’s Animal Kingdom Villas – Jambo House
- Disney’s Animal Kingdom Villas – Kidani Village
- Disney’s Beach Club Villas
- Disney’s BoardWalk Villas
- Disney’s Old Key West Resort
- Disney’s Polynesian Villas & Bungalows
- Island Tower at Disney’s Polynesian Villas
- Disney’s Riviera Resort
- Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa
- Villas at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa
As well as the following third party hotels:
- Walt Disney World Dolphin Hotel
- Walt Disney World Swan Hotel
- Walt Disney World Swan Reserve
- Shades of Green Resort
When can international guests purchase Lightning Lanes?
The latest update is that international guests may now use the My Disney Experience app for pre-arrival purchasing and planning for Lightning Lane Multi Pass and Single Pass, just as they do for Advance Dining Reservations and everything else. This used to require a workaround, but that’s no longer the case.
What about split stays?
Resort split stays that are continuous (back-to-back bookings with no gaps between hotels) may purchase and book Lightning Lane Multi Pass and Single Pass selections for the entire length of their visit up to a maximum of 14 days. That’s how it should work, and the system should automatically recognize a split stay.
In practice, this can be hit or miss and can require an override from Disney IT. That’s not completely surprising, as FastPass+ had similar issues from time to time. It’s something to be aware of if you’re doing a split stay.
What is the booking window for on-site guests who are Annual Passholders or are using ticket types that are not date-based?
The 7-day booking window still applies. Or at least, it should. There’s always the possibility of issues when it comes to Disney IT and systems determining which “status” to prioritize, but the official policy is that staying on-site supersedes ticket type.
This means that all guests with their MDX profiles linked to an on-site resort reservation should be able to purchase and make Lightning Lane reservations pursuant to the 7-day on-site advantage booking window.
Can Lightning Lane Single and Multi-Pass both be purchased together?
Yes.
Not only can you buy both, but you can purchase all Lightning Lane passes for your travel party for the same day in a single transaction.
Can multiple days be purchased at the same time?
Not in the same transaction, but at the same time.
After you purchase Lightning Lane passes for your first day, you can purchase a Lightning Lane pass or passes for another eligible park day. This can help you enjoy streamlined vacation planning, since you can make Lightning Lane plans for multiple days—all in the same day, before you arrive.
Are you able to see available times and attractions before buying?
Yes. You’ll select your first three attractions and return times with Lightning Lane Multi Pass and/or Single Pass selections before you pay. Once you make your selections, you’ll have a set amount of time during which your ‘cart’ is reserved in order to complete the transaction.
What about refunds and modifications?
Lightning Lane Multi Pass is nonrefundable according to Walt Disney World, but as with anything, that’s subject to the discretion of a Cast Member. If you have a good reason and don’t have a track record of making dubious refund requests, you might receive one.
With that said, you can make modifications after purchasing to your attractions or return times. You can even change the park or the day of your visit after you purchase. If your new park or date costs more, you’ll need to pay the difference in price. (If it costs less, you won’t receive a refund.)
When can subsequent selections be made on the day of a theme park visit?
On the day of your park visit, once you redeem a Lightning Lane, you can use the My Disney Experience app to check availability for another Lightning Lane Multi Pass experience—and add that to your plans.
Consider this the “rolling 3 rule,” which is to say that you can always have 3 Lightning Lane selections (subject to availability). With the rolling 3 rule of Lightning Lane Multi-Pass, you can make your next ride reservation as soon as you’ve used one. It thus behooves you to reserve Lightning Lanes earlier in the day to unlock subsequent selections sooner.
This is unlike FastPass+, which required you to redeem all 3 prebooked ride reservations before making additional selections.
Can Lightning Lanes still be modified?
Yes. To view and/or modify your ride reservations, open MDX and tap on the Lightning Lane Passes section of the home screen. Then, you’ll be able to:
- View your Lightning Lane passes and selections—as well as other plans, such as dining reservations
- Modify your Lightning Lane selections, subject to availability
This works very similarly to Genie+ or FastPass+ and is advantageous for those who don’t get their ideal ride reservation times to start, or find themselves with a scheduling conflict.
Is refreshing and rebooking ride reservations possible with Lightning Lane Multi-Pass?
Yes, and it’s easy thanks to the modify button. As before, you can play the ‘refresh game’ and get better or more convenient return times, and also search for availability at other attractions without losing your existing Lightning lane ride reservation.
Which Lightning Lane selections are the “best” ones from each tier?
We rank the best Lightning Lane Multi-Pass picks for each park based upon time saved and how quickly return times fill up and run out. This is incredibly helpful for choosing the order to book your ride reservations:
- Magic Kingdom Lightning Lane Ride Ranks & Strategy
- Disney’s Hollywood Studios Lightning Lane Ranks & Strategy
- EPCOT Lightning Lane Ride Ranks & Strategy
- Animal Kingdom Lightning Lane Ride Ranks & Strategy
Note: those are “aggressive” with how many Lightning Lanes you’ll be able to book per day. In order to score that many LLMPs, you’ll probably need an aggressive refresh game and success with ride reservation refills (see below).
What are the “best” Lightning Lanes at Walt Disney World?
Obviously, that’s subjective and comes down to your preferences and priorities.
Beyond the park-by-park list, here’s the Top 10 Toughest Lightning Lanes at Disney World. Those are the most difficult to book Lightning Lane Multi-Passes, which not-so-coincidentally will save you the most time. In other words, the objective best-of list.
Is more availability added to Lightning Lane Multi-Pass throughout the day?
Yes. This is no surprise whatsoever, as both FastPass+ and Genie+ had ride reservation refills, drops, or whatever you want to call them that occurred at consistent times. (See Ride Reservation Refill Rules at Walt Disney World.)
Rather than waiting for a ride reservation refill (that may not happen) before booking a Lightning Lane, we recommend choosing the best available option and then modifying to something better. It’s a good way to hedge your bets. Just be warned: it becomes addictive–just like a video game. Also like a game, it can mean losing a ton of ‘real world’ time as your face is glued to a screen.
Should I book the default return times that Lightning Lane Multi-Pass spits back after selecting my rides?
Yes, most of the time. The Lightning Lane Multi-Pass system is “smart” and will book the first available return time for each attraction, with a sufficient buffer between them so that you’re not double-booked. This is the ‘best practice’ because you typically should be making as early of arrival times as possible (for at least one attraction) in order to “unlock” that 4th ride faster.
In fact, you should consider changing your Group B selections in order to prioritize for a mixture of return time and ride priority. Don’t book Haunted Mansion and Pirates of the Caribbean, for example, if both have return times in the afternoon. Opt for the next highest priority with an early return to unlock that 4th pick.
What’s the best order of parks for making advance Lightning Lane Multi-Pass reservations?
From what we’re seeing in terms of availability (or lack thereof), you should book parks in the following priority:
- Magic Kingdom (Tiana’s Bayou Adventure)
- Disney’s Hollywood Studios (Slinky Dog Dash)
- EPCOT (Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure)
- Animal Kingdom (Na’vi River Journey, Kilimanjaro Safaris, Kali River Rapids or Expedition Everest)
For the best attraction and return time options, you’ll want to backload your bookings with Magic Kingdom furthest out, then DHS, EPCOT, and Animal Kingdom. This matters less if you have a longer trip and more for a shorter one.
For example, if visiting the parks December 22-25, book in the following order:
- Magic Kingdom: December 25
- DHS: December 24
- EPCOT: December 23
- DAK: December 22
This should change once Tiana’s Bayou Adventure becomes more reliable. Its capacity will improve and thus so too will its Lightning Lane availability. In the long term, it’s unlikely that Slinky Dog Dash will dethroned from its #1 spot.
Is it possible to see available attractions and return times before buying?
Yes. In fact, this is the only way to do it.
You select your first three attractions and return times with Lightning Lane Multi Pass before you pay–that’s the last step of the process. Once you make your selections, you’ll have a set amount of time during which your ‘cart’ is reserved in order to complete the transaction.
How much time do you have to check out with your Lightning Lane selections?
You have 5 minutes from the time you place Lightning Lanes in your cart to complete checkout.
This can mean there’s still a shifting of times right at the 7:00:00 am mad dash, but once you make the selections, they’re locked into place. This is a massive improvement from Genie+ when times were ‘blind’ for the first 30 minutes due to the massive shifting possible.
This also means you probably want to keep playing the ‘refresh game’ until around 7:30 am when booking your Lightning Lanes via Multi-Pass, as carts will expire and other guests will keep swapping around Lightning Lanes and “trading up” times as availability allows.
Do tiers apply same-day?
If you’re just booking ‘cold’ or for the first time, the Grouping A and B distinctions do apply with your first same-day Lightning Lane Multi-Pass selections.
Once you’ve entered a park and tapped into your first Lightning Lane, tiers no longer apply for subsequent selections.
What about tiers to modifications?
Tiers do not apply to modifications so long as you’ve already redeemed a Lightning Lane. Meaning that you could redeem a Lightning Lane for Pirates of the Caribbean at 9:05 am, and then modify pre-booked Lightning Lane from Haunted Mansion to Peter Pan’s Flight while still also holding a Tiana’s Bayou Adventure Lightning Lane.
This is another reason why it’s advantageous to book a return time for (at least) your first Lightning Lane selection that’s as early as possible–because it unlocks your 4th pick (and so on).
Can Lightning Lane ride reservations overlap with one another?
Not completely. In the screenshot above, you can see that we have a Tiana’s Bayou Adventure Lightning Lane for 11:45 am to 12:45 pm and Haunted Mansion from 12:35 to 1:35 pm–an overlap of 10 minutes.
By default, it seems like there isn’t overlapping. It also appears that if you modify to create an overlap, the system will attempt to shift your other existing selections to reduce or eliminate the overlap. But you can still modify to create greater overlaps–at least, in some scenarios, and at certain attractions.
This is unlike the Genie+ system, which was “dumb” and thus didn’t check for conflicts with existing reservations. It is similar to the FastPass+ system, which prevented overlap.
Can Lightning Lane ride reservations overlap with Advance Dining Reservations?
Again, not completely. Meaning that if you have an Advance Dining Reservation (ADR) at Cinderella’s Royal Table starting at 2:05 pm, you cannot have a Lightning Lane also starting at 2:05 pm. This is also unlike Genie+.
Weirdly, it does seem that you can have a Lightning Lane starting at 1:55 pm even if you have an ADR at 2:05 pm. It’s unclear how much buffer is necessary or if this is a glitch and will change–but it’s what we’re seeing so far.
What does this do for stacking?
It’s gone. You can still make 3 selections for the afternoon–or literally whenever–but the Lightning Lane Multi-Pass system incentives planners to schedule selections earlier in the day in order to start making subsequent ride reservations. The stacking and late arrival approach is now–without a doubt–suboptimal.
What about the 120 minute rule?
It’s gone, too.
For all intents and purposes, the rolling 3 rule replaces the “stacking system” of Genie+.
Are re-rides be possible?
Just as with Genie+, you cannot book the same Lightning Lane Multi Pass more than once per day.
Can you make Lightning Lane Multi-Pass selections when planning to Park Hop?
Yes. When you purchase a Lightning Lane Multi Pass for a theme park, you’ll be prompted to choose up to 3 multi pass experiences and arrival windows in the same theme park.
Once you redeem a selection on the day of your park visit, you can use the My Disney Experience app to choose another multi pass experience in any Walt Disney World theme park (subject to availability), as long as you have a valid ticket with the Park Hopper option or an Annual Pass.
Is there an upgrade cost for Park Hopping with Lightning Lane Multi-Pass?
No. There is no additional charge for Park Hopping, and you do not need to pay for the Lightning Lane Multi-Pass a second time.
Upfront prices do differ, meaning that guests purchasing for Magic Kingdom will, for all intents and purposes, still be paying the multi-park or Park Hopping price. But those starting in Animal Kingdom, for whatever reason, will receive “free” Park Hopping.
However, you must use your first Lightning Lane before making subsequent selections in different parks. If you try to modify Lightning Lane Multi Pass selections from one park to another before using any of them, you will have to pay the difference.
What happens to Lightning Lane selections if you cancel a resort reservation?
If you cancel or modify your Resort hotel reservation after you’ve already purchased a Lightning Lane Multi Pass, then your selected attractions and arrival windows are subject to cancellation based on eligibility rules. Lightning Lane Multi Pass is nonrefundable.
Do all rides at Walt Disney World have Lightning Lanes.
No.
However, all major attractions offer Lightning Lanes. Basically, if it’s an attraction with a lengthy line that you might want to skip, it has a Lightning Lane. Even some attractions that are usually walk-ons have (unnecessary) Lightning Lanes. We call these the “consolation prize rides” because 3 of the 4 parks don’t have enough Lightning Lane capacity without the filler.
Were Lightning Lanes removed from any attractions?
Yes.
Character meet & greets no longer offer Lightning Lanes, nor do parades and other entertainment.
Could the tiers change?
As always, all of the attractions on the above lists are subject to change as dictated by demand and whatever other parameters Walt Disney World uses. As noted above, Soarin’ was just relegated to Group B when Test Track returned and reclaimed its rightful spot in Group A.
I also wouldn’t be surprised if select character meet & greets are re-added at some point if Walt Disney World realizes there’s insufficient capacity at present. Alternatively, if demand drops and Disney wants to incentivize more LLMP purchases, offering more eligible experiences is one way to accomplish that.
What has changed with standby lines?
Nothing.
Regular ole walk-up standby lines are still available on all attractions. (Virtual queues have been retired at Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, and TRON Lightcycle Run, meaning all rides now have standby lines for the first time in years.)
Why did Walt Disney World reintroduce pre-arrival ride reservations?
This is another in Walt Disney World’s line of “we’re listening” changes. According to the company, guests have told Disney that they would prefer to have the option to do more of their planning before their theme park day. Lightning Lane Multi-Pass and Single Pass accomplish this, while also providing more certainty and allowing guests to coordinate ride reservations with ADRs and other plans.
The two biggest complaints Walt Disney World has received about Genie+ are the 7 a.m. wake-up call on vacation and too much screen time during the day. This moves that early wake-up call, along with some of the stress and headaches associated with planning to before the vacation. If there is an issue, confusion, or frustration–now it’s happening at home instead of setting a sour note to start the day while at Walt Disney World.
Shifting the purchase of Lightning Lanes prior to the trip also benefits Walt Disney World. Guests are more likely to purchase line-skipping before their trips due to FOMO or FUD. Guests haven’t started experiencing the parks, so they don’t know what wait times will be like, and might be more inclined to worry about ride reservations selling out.
Fears of colossal crowds might also be front of mind. As a result, Walt Disney World is able to capture more advance sales and still benefit from same-day Lightning Lane purchases. On top of that, advance Lightning Lanes function as a substitute for the loss of park reservations, so Disney has a better forecast of attendance and can staff or allocate resources accordingly.
How can we provide feedback to Walt Disney World about Lightning Lanes?
We recommend respectfully expressing your opinions as to how Lightning Lane will impact your vacations or business with Walt Disney World by email [email protected].
This is far superior to complaining in comments, social media, forums, etc. (Although Disney sees all of that, too.) Rather than starting petitions, which are largely ineffectual, share feedback in guest satisfaction surveys, bring it up if you speak with managers or others in park leadership, or even contact Guest Relations.
Just as FastPass and Genie evolved over time based on guest use and demand dynamics, so too can you expect Lightning Lane MultiPass and Single Pass to change throughout the rest of this year and into 2026–meaning that everything above is subject to change. In other words, the “rules” and how Lightning Lanes work will continue to evolve and we will update our recommendations accordingly.
We’ll continue to keep you posted, as more changes are likely on the horizon. We’ll also continue updating this FAQ as we learn more and we receive more reader questions. For now, this should answer most of the questions that readers have been asking about Lightning Lanes at Walt Disney World. There have been a lot of questions, so if we didn’t address yours, we apologize. Please post in the comments below and we’ll answer more as they’re asked!
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YOUR THOUGHTS
Have any questions we didn’t answer with the above FAQ? Still confused by how Lightning Lane MultiPass or Single Pass work? Do you agree or disagree with our assessments? Other thoughts or concerns? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
I wrote the following email to the WDW address Tom put in his post. I’d encourage everyone who is affected by this change (AKA Disney Fans in the other 96% of the world) to send something in as well.
__________________________________
Hello,
We are Canadians who have been coming to WDW every second year for a week since our kids were old enough to make the trip. We have stayed for a week each time and purchased Genie+/individual lightning lanes every day of our trips.
I saw the announcement of the changes to that system with dismay. Not the pre-booking or name change, mind you, just the part about international guests not being able to book in advance. That’s a deal breaker for us, not just for purchasing multi-experience passes, but for coming to WDW at all.
With US-based guests having either 3 or 7 days of pre-booking, all the most desirable attractions will be either unavailable, or so late in the day as to make booking a subsequent attraction using that slot impossible. That significantly impairs the value proposition of the multi-experience pass for us, and we would never visit on standby lines only – the value proposition of that is even worse, because between the cost of flights/accommodations/admission the cost per attraction is very, very high.
We had already booked a few days at a top-tier Universal Orlando resort prior to our Disney Cruise next February, and suspect that’s the direction we’ll be going in the future if we’re going to be treated as second-class citizens by Walt Disney World.
Regards,
Totally agree with you Michael. We are in the same boat, we are a middle class Canadian family who booked WDW Resort Vacations for many many years. Now with the cost of airfare, the poor $ exchange rates, the ever increasing prices of a WDW vacation with accommodation and Park tickets, to be put at such a great disadvantage with this new advanced ride booking system only available to people in the US after we are already spending so many thousands and thousands of dollars for a WDW resort vacation, we are now seriously considering canceling our upcoming 10 day WDW Resort Vacation and we will definitely not make any further future plans to visit WDW unless this changes. It’s extremely disappointing, and disheartening, to be treated this way by the WDW company after spending so many years worth of hard earned vacation money and our valuable vacation time at WDW. I will send a letter to WDW expressing my feelings on this but I’m afraid they couldn’t care less.
It says you can purchase up to 2 single pass selections per day in advance. Does that only apply to Magic Kingdom, which has two available to purchase or can I purchase one for Guardians of the Guardians of the Galaxy and one for Rise of the Resistance for example?
You can buy Lightning Lane Single Pass for *any* two of the five LLSP attractions on any given day. The obvious combo is Tron and Seven Dwarfs, but sure, you can buy both Rise and Guardians on the same day if you wish. That’s also how they work now – the only change as “ILLs” become “LLSPs” is the advance booking window. The ‘rules’ aren’t changing with those.
Another helpful post, thanks so much, Tom!
Any idea when you will post strategy – based approaches to combining the new system with (and without) early entry/extended magic hours?
Including suggestions for rides to prioritize?
Planning articles are my jam, thanks for the toast!
Great article Tom- you’re the best! I’m still going through my “emotional processing” lol, but I was pep talking myself last night to say I can and will “learn” this system too! Your opening of this post made me laugh and really hit home. So even though we are always off site and will clearly have a new disadvantage, I am pretty confident we will figure it out. Can’t wait to read more from you once you get to kick the tires.
It’s notable that the following hotels (for now) DO participate in Early Entry, but (apparently, for now) do NOT get the benefit of the 7 days in advance of stay booking of Multi-Pass Lightning Lanes:
B Resort & Spa Lake Buena Vista
DoubleTree Suites by Hilton Orlando
Drury Plaza Hotel Orlando Lake Buena Vista
Four Seasons Resort Orlando
Hilton Orlando Buena Vista Palace
Hilton Orlando Lake Buena Vista
Holiday Inn Orlando
Signia by Hilton Orlando Bonnet Creek
Waldorf Astoria Orlando
Wyndham Garden Lake Buena Vista
Wyndham Lake Buena Vista
The differences can be seen by comparing the hotel lists at these two URLs: https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/guest-services/early-entry/ VS https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/lightning-lane-passes/#drawer-card-DrawerWhenToPurchaseLL
I was surprised by the difference–I assumed it would just be the Early Entry list based on what I was told at one point.
Makes me wonder whether the Disney Springs and Bonnet Creek Resorts are going to have to negotiate with Disney (and pay more) for this perk, or if Disney is just blocking them out.
This aligns with the current-day policy where those hotels qualify for early-entry, but do not allow for purchasing of Individual Lightning Lanes at 7am. So there’s already some precedent for a “tier” of hotels that offer early entry but no LL benefits (but the value of those LL benefits is about to increase dramatically!).
So the non-Disney owned hotels given the full seven days are the ones that currently participate in Extended Evening Theme Park Hours…. unless that’s changed since I write this, which is certainly possible?
Yes, the non-Disney hotels that will offer the 7-day LL window are the ones that currently offer access to 7am ILL purchases and extended evening hours (the Swan/Dolphin and Shades of Green).
PS If I’m wrong about any of this, and perhaps I am, Tom will quickly correct my mistakes while handing me the public humiliation I will so richly deserve.
Tom?
PSPS: OOPS! This refers to an earlier comment regarding our international Disney friends which hasn’t actually appeared yet.
Dear International Friends of Disney.
I don’t think you’re as screwed as you think.
The vast majority of foreign travelers arrive for nothing short of a week, often 10 days to two weeks.
No question you have a disadvantage but if you plan correctly. it won’t be as terrible as you think.
You’re first day in Orlando is a travel day. Would you really BUY a NON REFUNDABLE multi pass on a day that can turn quickly against you simply by bad weather at the airport etc?
Figure on spending it at the water park, which is now free for you that day, enjoy your resorts amenities, have a nice dinner and plan your multi fast pass days.
In the old days maybe on your first FULL DAY you went right to MK, your favorite Park. Well now you might consider doing AK or EPCOT those first two days. They never needed genie+.
Maybe you just buy the single ride for Guardians of the Galaxy or Avatar: Flight of Passage. This probably saves some money over the multi-pass anyway.
That brings you to your third full day.
Hey, three days ago, on your travel day, when you first arrived, you started looking into booking multi pass rides right?
Well on that day, when you start looking at your third and fourth full days, I suspect you’ll be able to find one good tier one ride worth your while to decide which Park next.
Your fourth day, by the way, is technically the first day for people who live in the states and staying off-site.
That boat you’re in is now equal to their boat.
Yeah you could look at it like, “We lost two full days!” But you went to AK and EPCOT. You had a good time didn’t you? And were you really going to spend money on multi passes for Parks that really don’t need them?
Granted it’s not great but if you think about it rationally, things aren’t quite as awful as you originally thought.
And if you’re coming for two weeks, your first day, that travel day we spoke of, would be the first day you could start booking multi-pass if you lived in the states. So no disadvantage at all regarding the second half of your trip.
Always look on the bright side of life.
Thank you, Monty Python.
I get what you’re saying, but the loss is greater than that for on-site guests. Maybe in practice, this won’t matter much–that’s my hope.
Regardless, it’s really disappointing that Walt Disney World knew this would be an issue and could have built a web-based version of the booking process, but opted against it. That doesn’t exactly say to me that Disney values their whales. I’d be livid if I were an international guest.
I for one won’t be coming anymore if I’m at a structural disadvantage. Between the cost of travelling to Orlando and staying on-site, those first few days can’t be “maybe you can make it work and it’ll be OK” to justify the expense. we have consistently bought Genie+/ILL every day of our trip previously, which worked very well.
Paying full price to get “leftovers” doesn’t work for me at all, and given the relative priority for LL compared to standby doing standby only is a total non-starter. Park tickets are still more expensive than LL passes, but without them we can do less than half as much (with kids we can either rope-drop or stay late, but not both).
Many of us middle class Canadians do not have the vacation time or the money to bring their families for a 2 week WDW Resort vacation, maybe some but I would guess that quite a lot of them only come for 1 week!! Eh!
Canadian here. While I would love to go for 2 weeks, the most likely scenario for us is a long weekend + a couple of days. Since we’re coming from the west, the travel day is a wash anyway, but then we’d be there for ~4 days. Not being able to book until arrival would suck. And it would give much less flexibility on park days. Oh, your last day is a Monday, that’s the day you’ll have best LL availability – do you go to MK or not?
Related question – could I get friends / family located in the US to make LL reservations on our behalf? That would be a huge pain in the neck, but I would consider it.
So will the Disney springs hotel guests be able to book early with the Disney hotel guests like they can now?
No. Those hotels do not currently allow guests to book Individual Lightning Lanes at 7am, and they are not expected to offer guests the 7-day booking window when the new system rolls out.
Tom, help!
We are going to be on our 4th day of our 6 days at WDW when this drops, any tips on how to handle this change from one system to another? Can we stay up till midnight and purchase the new Lighting Lane multi pass and then start planning for the 25th and 26th?
Thank you
We are in nearly the same exact situation and wondering how to utilize both tools to our best advantage.
One of the oddest decisions here so far is to not include the meet and greets in LLMP. Let’s be honest, most of the tier two attractions are just filler, and are basically consolation prizes for guests (Tom has said as much in the past). Meet and greets actually DO have long lines and would be higher priority than many of these secondary rides.
Selfishly, I’m also at the point where we’re not really doing meet and greets anymore, and I would rather other guests be soaking up LL’s for these instead of attractions I actually want to ride.
Disney began adding M&Gs to Genie+ a few months after launch after learning there wasn’t enough capacity for the system. Some were even added where they shouldn’t have been, like Red Carpet Dreams at DHS. Then they undid some because it created problems with congestion and there really wasn’t much capacity added, anyway. (I’d argue that any single room M&G should not have a LL–the capacity just isn’t there for it.)
I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised if the mulit-room M&Gs get added in early 2025 after Party Season is over. What we’ve seen in the last couple of years is that WDW doesn’t have enough character performers to cover days and the events, so they schedule fewer during the day, causing the MK M&Gs wait times to skyrocket (and fewer LLs to be distributed).
Probably a savvy move to not have M&Gs on this until early 2025, but still weird to go from them being on Genie+ to not on LLMP.
I actually wonder if the meet & greets just aren’t available for pre-booking. It seems insane to me that they’d install a LL in the brand new EPCOT meet & greet only to do away with the ability to use it a few weeks later. Perhaps the character meet & greet lines will only be available for day-of booking?
I did more digging and it sounds like meet & greets will no longer offer Lightning Lanes at all, and there’s no intention to bring them back down the road. Obviously, everything is subject to change…but I no longer expect their return in early 2025.
Thanks for digging, that’s disappointing, as it also means that DAS users will no longer be able to wait away from those lines for M&Gs and as you mentioned the congestion can be pretty bad, especially at parties with characters like Jack.
Scout – I could be wrong but as DAS can be currently used for rides that don’t offer Lightning Lane (e.g. Peoplemover), I would think DAS for character greetings would work the same way. When we used DAS with my nephew who is autistic, we clicked on the description for the ride we wanted that didn’t have LL, and then there was a link that said something like “Make a DAS reservation.” There wasn’t a dedicated line, but we were told to go to the person manning the line and let them know we had a DAS pass. It worked well, and I hope that this same feature will continue, and be expanded to those attractions that aren’t offered for Lightning Lane.
I also agree with how strange it was not to include meet and greets. I was so annoyed that we had to wait 55 minutes to meet Anna and Elsa and really wished there was a lightning lane option for it (i believe there probably isn’t because of lack of space in the queue for LL). We did character dining this trip, but waiting in line to meet princesses and characters is super frustrating. Makes me just long for Disneyland where you barely have to wait at all and they roam!
Tom, how do you think this will change your “When You Should Not Buy Genie+” post? We are going at the end of Oct. and were planning to stay off-site and only buy G+ certain days. Will we now need Multi Pass everyday, and if so, I’m guessing we should just move on-site?
It’s hard to say how things will change. Right off the bat, I’d say that off-site guests should probably not purchase it when crowd levels are higher (meaning more competition for the limited inventory).
I’d also say you should not stay off-site if you’re on the fence.
I am so excited about this change. No more worrying about sleeping past 7am. No more setting an alarm for every 120 minutes on my phone. This is a great change for the planners in the family. I am surprised though that Tiana’s Bayou Adventure isn’t available as an individual lightning lane purchase.
I’m going to try digging more into the issue with international guests booking before being on U.S. soil. I’ll admit that’s one wrinkle to the new system that caught me completely by surprise. It’s also one I don’t fully understand the “why” behind since I’m based in the United States and have never dealt with any of this firsthand. I just know the ‘real’ reason for MagicBands not shipping internationally, and thought the explanation might be similar. But it’s sounding more and more like that’s NOT the case.
Hopefully I’ll have more info on this later today, but don’t hold your breath. It may not be something Disney can/will answer/address.
Thank you for digging into the International visitors! As a Canadian visiting in September I was so excited to hear about the changes..until I read about our exclusion 🙁
Is the MagicBand issue because Disney doesn’t want to go through the process for getting regulatory certification of the MagicBand hardware in other countries?
Hardware regulatory issues obviously wouldn’t apply for Lightning Lane purchases.
As Canadian guests, in the past we could not get our magic bands shipped to us prior to our vacation so they were just waiting for us at our WDW resort and given to us when we checked in. I always assumed this had something to fo with shipp8ng costs/customs fees. It really didn’t matter to us and was actually preferable just to have them waiting for us upon arrival.
I can’t understand why we as Canadians can’t purchase / use advance LLMP or ILLs. We never had a problem using the advanced fastpass+ system and can still book advanced dining reservations. We can also purchase special events tickets in advance. This new system definitely puts us at a great disadvantage and totally lowers the value of the WDW Resort vacation for Canadians with all the money we have to spend to get there, losing money on the $ exchange, and the high expense of staying on site, eating on site, park tickets, etc, to show up and not be able to get on the top rides, it was already a very expensive vacation for us. We’re not rich, but I would buy the LLMP and ILLs for us if it meant a better vacation, now it’s not going to be worth wasting all that money with us not being able to book advance rides with other US resort guests and being put at such a great disadvantage. I mean it’s not going to be worth it to book a WDW vacation at all, not only not going to be worth the cost of buying the LLMP or ILLs. We’re seriously considering canceling our currently booked WDW vacation and not going back unless the system changes.
I could understand Disney not wanting to put in the work to make in app purchases available in UK/EU due to our ridiculous GDPR data privacy regulations, but I’m flabbergasted they’re launching without Canada as well. That’s a much bigger chunk of Disney’s market to kick in the teeth.
As it is, some early experimentation is suggesting we should be able to get around the geo locking with some (tedious and slightly technical) workarounds, though it’s not going to be as simple as “download a free vpn on your computer” as we currently have to do for booking experiences like Savi and BBB. There’s going to be a lot of very angry international customers calling Disney in the next few weeks…
My son was barely too short for Big Thunder the last time we visited, and received one of those cards that gets your entire group into the LL line if/when he comes back and is tall enough. Do you think that’ll still be honored under the new system?
No Doubt.
Can’t imagine a cast member refusing that. Read some article recently about a guest who presented – and used – some sort of “never expires” entrance ticket from the 70s.
Would choose three OTHER rides, and save the certificate for use with that one.
Well, it took long enough but now we have a reasonable shot at planning our day. I am disappointed that AP, even with a WDW resort reservation, will not get the 7-day opportunity – can’t make selections earlier than 3 days.
I’m curious: can we book 7 days before our first PARK day? Or seven days before our RESORT reservation begins? I know some people go to the park immediately upon arrival, but many others wait a day or two. I realize that for all who have date-based tickets, Disney won’t know when you’re using them so I’m guessing it will be based on your first resort night? But we have someone using non-expiration tickets from back in the day with Park reservations needed… So I’m curious.
Based on what they’ve announced, it’s seven days prior to your resort check-in day.
Any insight into how the rules for APs/park reservations will work? I have an AP with a reservation for one park, do I have to buy LL for THAT park? Or could I purchase it for the park I plan to hop to later that day? For example, I would probably not buy LL for AK; I would plan to rope drop and just knock out the few rides I know I want to do. If I then hop to DHS, I would prefer to have my LL scheduled for there later in the day. Would this even be possible?
It’s possible NOW (you can buy Genie+ for a different park than the one you have a reservation for), so there’s no reason to think that will change. Nothing in the announcements indicates that a connection is being created between the LL and park reservation systems.
So similar to Genie+ – I don’t ever envision doing this for EPCOT or Animal Kingdom but will definitely do it for Magic Kingdom and probably for Hollywood Studios.
Maybe doing it for EPCOT to guarantee a Tier One ride early in the day with a park hop after the morning. Maybe Animal Kingdom is a later in the day park.
Will be interesting to see where they dump Test Track. I am assuming that will be a Tier One ride as well.
Tom,
For Genie Plus you could only have 12 people in your party. Do you know if this is true for Multi Pass as well? I am traveling with a group of 15 people. We arrive on July 23rd, and our first park day is July 24th. Thanks!
Scenario: AP with a park pass reservation for AK. Do I have to buy LL multi-pass for AK, or can I buy it for, say, MK if I plan to park hop later?
Not sure it’s sound strategy, but curious if it’s possible.
My family has gotten really accustomed to starting later with G+. I’d love to see a post outlining a late arrival strategy with LL multi.
Yes, you can buy LLMP for MK and use your preselected LL(s) upon hopping from AK.